The bullish predictions come amid sharp pushback from former Ripple CIO David Schwartz. | Source: CCN
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Key Takeaways
Bitwise projects XRP could reach $9.60 by 2027.
It comes as Ripple’s David Schwartz has pushed back on speculative narratives.
Achieving Bitwise’s forecasts depends on several uncertain factors.
Asset manager Bitwise has outlined an ambitious long-term outlook for XRP.
The firm projects the token could approach double-digit valuations within the next few years, as institutional adoption and real-world use cases expand.
However, the forecast comes amid renewed skepticism from Ripple insiders, who highlighted the growing divide between bullish projections and more cautious market realities.
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Bitwise’s 2026–2030 outlook frames XRP as a high-upside asset tied closely to institutional adoption trends, particularly in tokenization and cross-border payments.
Under its most optimistic scenario, Bitwise outlines a steep growth trajectory for XRP over the coming years, driven by accelerating institutional adoption.
The firm expects the token to climb to $6.53 by the end of 2026, before rising to $9.60 in 2027.
Momentum is then projected to build further, with XRP reaching $13.84 in 2028 and $20.14 in 2029, ultimately peaking at $29.32 by 2030.
Taken together, this “max case” implies an approximate 20-fold increase from its current price of around $1.41.
A key driver in the model is the global tokenization market, which Bitwise expects could reach tens of trillions of dollars in value.
Even a 1–2% share attributed to the XRP Ledger would translate into significant network value accrual.
Additional factors include:
Growing use in cross-border payments positions XRP as a potential alternative to legacy systems like SWIFT.
Increased transaction volumes tied to enterprise adoption.
Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin aims to enhance liquidity and trust within the ecosystem.
The outlook aligns with comments from Bitwise Senior Strategist Juan Leon, who has pointed to improving fundamentals following years of regulatory uncertainty.
Speaking on the Paul Barron podcast, Leon said earlier volatility in XRP was largely tied to legal ambiguity, which has now “mostly resolved,” allowing the market to stabilize.
“There’s still definitely a lot of growth ahead for the digital asset ecosystem,” he said.
Leon added that increasing partnerships and revenue generation within Ripple’s network could support higher valuations over time.
He also suggested that, in a renewed bull cycle, XRP could revisit or exceed previous all-time highs within 12 to 18 months.
Schwartz Pushes Back on “Hidden Adoption” Narratives
Despite the optimistic projections, Ripple’s former Chief Technology Officer, David Schwartz, has sought to temper expectations, particularly around claims of imminent large-scale institutional adoption.
Schwartz recently rejected speculation that Ripple is quietly orchestrating a global rollout involving central banks or governments.
No, I'm saying there are lots of secrets. Many of Ripple's partners insist on NDAs to keep their business secret. I'm saying the conspiracy theories that constantly claim something big is about to happen or that the government is going to do something massive are almost always…
“…if you’re investing time, money, or emotion based on them, you’re fooling yourself,” he wrote on X.
While acknowledging that non-disclosure agreements are common in Ripple’s business dealings, Schwartz cautioned against interpreting confidentiality as evidence of undisclosed major developments.
“Ripple’s partners insist on NDAs to keep their business confidential,” he noted, adding that this does not imply any hidden event.
He also addressed claims that Ripple’s engagement with central banks signals imminent XRP integration, clarifying that such relationships are largely exploratory.
Caution on Extreme XRP Price Targets
Schwartz has also pushed back on some of the more aggressive price forecasts circulating in the crypto community. Particularly, predictions of XRP reaching $50 to $100 in the near term.
“I don’t feel comfortable saying something like that,” he said when asked about such targets.
While he acknowledged that past price milestones once seemed unlikely, he stressed the inherent difficulty of predicting crypto markets.
I don't fell comfortable saying something like that. While I don't think it's likely, I didn't think it was likely that XRP would ever hit $0.25. I started selling XRP at $0.10 because it seemed insane. I remember when bitcoin hitting $100 seemed like an impossible dream.
Importantly, Schwartz argued that current market prices already reflect collective expectations.
“If many rational people believed there was a 10% chance XRP hits $100 within a few years, they wouldn’t sell today at much less than $10,” he said.
The fact that XRP continues to trade well below that level suggests, in his view, that such outcomes are not widely believed by investors with capital at stake.
Not a Straight Line to Bitwise Targets
Short-term price action suggests XRP may be approaching a pivotal moment, though the path toward Bitwise’s longer-term projections remains uncertain.
According to CCN analyst Victor Olanrewaju, XRP is currently consolidating between $1.40 and $1.50. This level has repeatedly acted as a battleground between buyers and sellers.
On the weekly timeframe, the token remains within a broader descending channel. However, recent price compression near support hints at potential seller exhaustion.
The gap between short-term price dynamics and Bitwise’s longer-term bullish projections.
In other words, even if XRP breaks higher in the near term, reaching levels such as $9.60 by 2027 would likely require not just technical momentum, but a fundamental shift in usage and market structure — factors that remain uncertain.
Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN, specialising in the fast-moving worlds of crypto and emerging technology. He began his career covering local news in Cornwall after graduating from Falmouth University with First Class Honours in Journalism. There, he cut his teeth on everything from council meetings to missing swans.
He quickly rose through the ranks to become a frontline journalist at several of the UK’s leading national newspapers. Over the years, he has interviewed musicians and celebrities, reported from courtrooms and crime scenes, and secured multiple front-page exclusives.
Following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurt shifted his focus to technology journalism—just ahead of the AI boom. With a natural curiosity and a trained eye for emerging trends, he has found a new rhythm in reporting on innovation.
At CCN, Kurt's work focuses on the cutting edge of crypto, blockchain, AI, and the evolving digital world. Drawing on his background in people-first reporting and his deep interest in disruptive tech, Kurt delivers stories that are insightful, entertaining, and human-centric.
